Irish Trainer Gordon Elliott with PR Disaster of the Year

[v j stauffer]

Originally Posted by classhandicapper

What I'd like to know is why he did it and what the hell was he thinking?

Even if I was totally insensitive about such matters, I still couldn't come up with a logical reason to sit on a dead animal and clown around. Maybe it would make sense if he was 10 years old?

Those are exactly my thoughts.

What the hell was he thinking?

How could he possibly have thought that was a good idea.

Or even NOT a bad one?

Crazy

[snappit]

Originally Posted by classhandicapper

What I'd like to know is why he did it and what the hell was he thinking?

Even if I was totally insensitive about such matters, I still couldn't come up with a logical reason to sit on a dead animal and clown around. Maybe it would make sense if he was 10 years old?

This is his explanation:


"The photo in question was taken some time ago and occurred after a horse had died of an apparent heart attack on the gallops. I appreciate that an initial viewing of this photo suggests it is a callous and staged photo but nothing could be further from the truth.

"At what was a sad time, which it is when any horse under my care passes away, my initial reaction was to get the body removed from where it was positioned. "I was standing over the horse waiting to help with the removal of the body, in the course of which, to my memory I received a call and, without thinking, I sat down to take it. Hearing a shout from one of my team, I gestured to wait until I was finished.

"Such background information may seem trivial at this time and will not allay the concerns of many people both within and outside the world of horse racing.

"However, I feel it is important to provide people with some context surrounding this photo. To the racing community, to anyone who has worked with and loves horses and to anyone offended by this image I cannot apologise enough.

"Horse welfare and the care and attention to detail involved is absolutely at the core of everything we do here and both myself and all of my team pride ourselves on those standards.

"Again I apologise for any offence caused and ask people to consider this statement as opposed to the various falsehoods and misinformation being circulated on social media.

"At this time, I would like to stress that I continue to extend my full cooperation with the ongoing IHRB investigation."

[snappit]

He's already feeling the ramifications. Cheveley Park Stud who have eight horses with him including the hot favourite for the Marsh Chase at Cheltenham are removing their horses from him.

[cutchemist42]

Originally Posted by PaceAdvantage

Once again, the collective wisdom of the INTERWEBS blows something way out of proportion.

So...let me see if I have this straight in my head.

We can whip these creatures while they are alive to make them run straighter/faster....we can pump them full of meds while they are alive....we can tap their joints...do anything and everything to make them race through pain....

But GOD FORBID someone finds a picture of a trainer sitting on an ALREADY DEAD horse....and people lose their minds?

What have I missed? Must be something important.

I think you are out of touch and in the minority on this topic personally. Twitter reactions are brutal to this, this sport needs to survive and cant with this stuff.

[Robert Fischer]

Originally Posted by v j stauffer

Those are exactly my thoughts.

What the hell was he thinking?

How could he possibly have thought that was a good idea.

Or even NOT a bad one?

Crazy

dumb move

some people use humor as a way of dealing with stress/trauma, but that's no excuse.

That's about the most generous/empathetic guess I can come up with.

[Andy Asaro]

No question about the idiocy

But, the guy didn't kill the horse. And it happened in another country. Why are we now importing bad publicity and spreading it around so it can inevitably end up in the national media?

Twitter

Twitter

Twitter

[PaceAdvantage]

Originally Posted by snappit

He's already feeling the ramifications. Cheveley Park Stud who have eight horses with him including the hot favourite for the Marsh Chase at Cheltenham are removing their horses from him.

I'm perfectly OK with this. This was an expected ramification from his photo surfacing.

If he loses business over this, I'm quite alright with that. It is every owner's right to judge his actions and character and act accordingly.

but for the masses to lose their minds over this, and for racing to waste time investigating the OBVIOUS is ridiculous in my opinion.

[Elkchester Road]

And these guys are the high-profile trainers who want owners to spend huge sums of money for bloodstock in the racing business???

This guy is making sure everybody knows he doesn't give a shit about said animal...or what anybody else thinks of said animal, or any other horse. That ought to be good for his business. Jackass.

[PaceAdvantage]

Originally Posted by cutchemist42

I think you are out of touch and in the minority on this topic personally. Twitter reactions are brutal to this, this sport needs to survive and cant with this stuff.

Twitter reactions are hardly the measuring stick to go by.

That's one of the problems with the world in a nutshell.

[Redbullsnation]

Is this guy high or something? Y tho...

[snappit]

The Irish racing authorities have issued Elliott a 12 month ban with last six months suspended, so effectively a six month ban. He has also been ordered to pay 15,000 euros legal expenses. The British Horse Racing Authority have reciprocated the ban as they would normally do.


https://www.theguardian.com/sport/20...tograph-racing

This seems about right to me. Sends a clear message but doesn't destroy the man and protects his staff. It does mean that he won't be able to have runners at the upcoming Cheltenham and Aintree festivals but it's likely someone else will take over the license on a temporary basis.